{"id":739,"date":"2025-03-14T15:56:23","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/price-healing-garden\/?p=739"},"modified":"2025-03-14T15:57:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:57:22","slug":"a-day-at-the-ru-n-pantry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/price-healing-garden\/a-day-at-the-ru-n-pantry\/","title":{"rendered":"A Day at the RU-N Pantry+"},"content":{"rendered":"

Up the stairs and two doors to the right. Those were the instructions I was given at the information desk of the Paul Robeson Campus Center, to which I was very grateful as that morning I had already circled the entire first floor to no avail. The room I was searching for was one in which I had known existed, but could not pinpoint on a map of campus nor describe its offerings. Upon reaching the entrance, I would find an efficient, well-run ecosystem of student workers, full time staff and volunteers whose mission was to serve the student population and had grown from a movement of student activism. What I had found was the RU-N Pantry+.<\/span><\/p>\n

Created in 2017 by students, the Rutgers Newark Food Pantry is a small but mighty resource for students who need access to produce, canned goods, refrigerated items and hygiene products. The pantry is open to all students, staff as well, and each user can stop by once a week to pick up whatever they need to cover what they could not afford at the grocery store. On one wall, large fridges are filled with eggs and Chobani yogurt. In the center of the room are shelves of cans, pastas, cereals and bags of rice. The pantry goes beyond food, thus the inclusion of the plus in its name, so there are razors, hand warmers, wipes, and pads. Fresh produce greets you at the front door, of which the Pantry supplies not only during regular hours but each month at its farmers market events. The food itself comes from various sources, mainly the Community Food Bank of NJ and MEND NJ, as well as through food drives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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If a full meal is what you are searching for, the pantry is located next to the JBJ Soul Kitchen, one of many located in New Jersey created by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. Students can volunteer their time in the kitchen, and in return receive a delicious free meal consisting of an appetizer, entree, and dessert. It was there that I met with Director Hend El-Buri to discuss what the pantry offered, how it was run, and what problems it was solving on a grander scale in the world of food insecurity. What I learned was that the pantry sought to reach four main goals, and offered a variety of resources to meet them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Food Literacy: The pantry has many opportunities for students to be exposed to nutritional and cooking education. In the past, this has included cooking classes down at the Healing Garden. Every week the pantry hosts Try Tuesdays with Nicole, the campus dietitian. There you can sample a healthy recipe and then pick up its main ingredients at the pantry.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Building Community: a dedication to spreading awareness about the pantry throughout campus and the city of Newark. This is best seen in the ambassador program, where students take an online course about the pantry and then reach out to their fellow students to educate them on what they have learned as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Sustainability: At the healing garden, being environmentally friendly is at the heart of our work and the pantry has taken steps to reduce waste by offering dry goods that are dispensed into reusable containers that each student brings.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Providing Basic Needs: The pantry emphasizes dignity and choice when it comes to offering resources to students, which is why there are so many items to choose from, food or otherwise. For those who need more than just access to food, the pantry also offers information on where to learn more about SNAP, childcare, and WIC eligibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    But how exactly does a student use the pantry? Well, it’s a quick and easy process that starts online. Students can go to <\/span>https:\/\/studentaffairs.newark.rutgers.edu\/pantryrun\/orderonline<\/span><\/a>, where they can follow a link to a site that, after logging in, allows them to choose from the variety of food the pantry offers to put in their cart. Student workers at the pantry then fill shopping baskets with whatever was chosen, and students can come pick the food up in person. If a student is unavailable during regular hours, the pantry has lockers located next to Smith Hall that can be opened 24\/7 to access their order. As you choose each item, the pantry utilizes the stoplight system to help emphasize healthy eating. Each student is encouraged to choose what food works best for them, and to help make educated choices each item is given a red, yellow, or green label. Red foods should be eaten rarely due to low nutritional value, yellow more occasionally, and green most often.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    The creation of Rutgers\u2019 pantry has become part of a larger movement to start pantries on college campuses in the past decade. This is due to further research concerning food insecurity among college students. In 2020, the Government Accountability Office found that 3.8 million college students experienced food insecurity, meaning that they did not have access to enough nutritious food or did not know when they would eat next. According to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, \u201cFood insecurity and the lack of access to affordable nutritious food are associated with increased risk for multiple chronic health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, mental health disorders and other chronic diseases\u201d. The commonly heard reference to college students only eating ramen every day is all too real and drastically affecting the health of students across the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The pantry is also a great example of mutual aid, in which groups provide supplies or services to the community with no expectation of getting something in return. Mutual aid, a term formed from anarchist theory, is meant to address a lack of resources such as food and clothing and can be found on or off campus. Organizations such as Food Not Bombs and the free breakfast program run by the Black Panther Party in the 1960s are the most recognizable examples, but mutual aid can also include free stores, networks for those without housing, and of course pantries. Most recently, the RU-N Pantry held a clothing swap and thrift event with Moda, the campus fashion club, and will expanding on mutual aid projects in the future.<\/p>\n

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    Through its emphasis on sustainability and accessibility of fresh, healthy food, the pantry\u2019s work intersects with the mission of the Healing Garden in many ways and we will be seeing them throughout the spring as they become the newest group to begin planting on Bleeker St. While you wait for the weather to warm up, keep an eye out for the Pantry’s upcoming events on their Instagram page: pantry_run. You can also find their hours and linktree there as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Lastly, here are a few words from some of the hard working staff at the pantry who have spent the past few years, both asked the same questions:<\/span><\/p>\n

    How would you describe your work with the Pantry? Has it been a rewarding experience?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    Bryan, Program Coordinator<\/b><\/p>\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s been positive, fulfilling. I\u2019ve always been passionate about strengthening communities like Newark. I was looking for ways to give back to the community and this was the perfect opportunity. It\u2019s been really amazing seeing how much its grown\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Karyna, Student Manager<\/b><\/p>\n

    \u201cWe get to help others fulfill their needs, I just like supporting others. I feel like the pantry is important, as well as the welcoming atmosphere created by our amazing staff\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Up the stairs and two doors to the right. 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